


Dream State

by Asian_of_SHIELD



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Blood, Canon LGBTQ Character, Established Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Gay, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, M/M, Murder, Post-Fall (Hannibal), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:15:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28441518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asian_of_SHIELD/pseuds/Asian_of_SHIELD
Summary: Hannibal Lector and Will Graham are on the run. After killing the Great Red Dragon and Bedelia Du Maurier a few months before, the two of them fled the United States and moved to Canada. Free from Jack Crawford and the FBI, it's time for Will to prove his loyalty to Hannibal with his first hunt. This kill is his design, can he do it?
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Kudos: 12





	Dream State

**_IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT FOR A HUNT._ **

Snow covered the long stretches of farmland. The wheat fields glittered like diamonds underneath the full moon's light. Mozart's "Requiem in D minor, K. 626 " played on the Bentley's radio as Hannibal and Will drove down the dark highway. They followed a trail of gas, which grew thin with every second. It wouldn't be long before the men found Mr. Chang's Chevy Impala pulled to the side of the road.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hannibal.

Will took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He stood in the middle of the river back in Wolf Trap, Virginia. The current tugged at his ankles, threatening to sweep him away. One wrong step and he'd fall. But Will wasn't afraid. His heart didn't race and he kept a tight hold on his fishing rod. The Raven Stag stood on the shore, watching him with black eyes. But the current and the Raven Stag wouldn't hurt Will. Not with the wendigo's by his side.

He opened his eyes and turned to Hannibal. "Ready."

"I am glad to hear," said Hannibal.  A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Will was the one who found Mr. Chang, a recent law school graduate. The aspiring lawyer moved across the country three months ago, meaning he was alone. His parents lived on the East Coast, and his business took up any social time he might have had. Plus, Mr. Chang was a healthy young man. He wasn't too fat or too muscular. He was the perfect target. But what sealed the man's fate was the way he looked at Will and Hannibal.

Hannibal placed his hand on Will's shoulder when they left the lawyer's office. Mr. Chang pressed his lips into a thin line as he watched them leave. The friendly glint in his eye disappeared, replaced with a furrowed brow. That was the moment Will tucked the business card into his pocket to save for later. Now, two months later, the time had come.

_This is my design,_ thought Will. _Not Garett Jacob Hobbs', not Abel Gideon's and not Hannibal's. Mine._

Red taillights appeared on the horizon. Like Will predicted, Mr. Chang had pulled his Chevy Impala to the side of the road. The lawyer waved his arms as the Bentley approached him.

"I'd like to do this on my own," said Will.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"As you wish," he said.

Mr. Chang wasn't the first life Will took. Though, he'd be the first one not in self-defence. Will needed to prove that he had the strength to do what Hannibal did. He couldn't back down now.

Hannibal pulled the Bentley behind Mr. Chang's Impala, keeping the headlights on.

"You know what to do."

Will stepped out of the car and put his hands in the pockets of his grey trench coat. His fingers wrapped around the wooden handle of his pocket knife as he stepped towards Mr. Chang. The lawyer raised his hand to block out the Bentley's headlights.

"Do you need help?" Will asked.

"I uh, I think I must've hit a rock. The gas tank's leaking," Mr. Chang said.

Will didn't speak. He felt the black vines crawl under his flesh. The thorns tore from his back, sprouting like wings. They twisted and turned together until they grew into a thick pair of antlers above his head. The beast was out.

Fresh snow crunched underneath Will's leather boots as he closed the gap between him and Mr. Chang. The lawyer gasped and jerked forward as Will sank his knife into his stomach. He twisted the blade and wrenched it to the right, cutting open Mr. Chang's stomach like he'd cut open a fish. The smell of copper filled the air as warm blood spilled from the wound, covering Will's hands and clothes. With his free hand, Will grabbed the base of Mr. Chang's head and yanked it back.

In the full moon's light, Mr. Chang's face appeared ghostly pale. His adam's apple bobbed up and down as he stared at Will, wide-eyed. Large tears rolled down the side of his face. He placed a hand on Will's chest in a feeble attempt to push him away, but he had already lost too much blood.

"Oh God, pl-please," he begged.

But God gave no mercy and neither did Will.

He jerked the knife upwards, slicing Mr. Chang from his navel to the centre of his chest. The lawyer gasped and choked on his blood. He grabbed Will's shoulder, trying to keep upright, but the new wound was too much for him to handle.

Will gently lowered the man onto the cold pavement. His gaze never left Mr. Chang's face as he removed the knife from his chest. The lawyer let out a rattly breath before his brown eyes glazed over. A ghost of a smile appeared on Will's face as he removed the blade from the man's chest. The antlers above his head shrunk and receded into his back, disappearing as if they were never there.

_Beautiful_ , thought Will.

The blood looks black in the moonlight. It soaked through Mr. Chang's white button-up shirt and pooled underneath his body, spreading like angel wings.

"You didn't savour it," said Hannibal. He couched beside Will, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't have to," said Will.

Killing Mr. Chang felt right, but it wasn't the same as killing Francis Dolarhyde or Randall Tier. The others gave Will an adrenaline high that he knew he could never match. Mr. Chang was nothing more than a lamb for Will to slaughter. He was meat. But the others were predators like him. They thrived on the hunt and lived for the fight. Maybe Will did too, maybe that's what made the hunt enjoyable.

"What should we do with the body?" asked Will.

"We'll put him in the trunk," said Hannibal. "Take him with us, gut him home and then leave his remains in the woods for the bears to find."

Will nodded. He and Hannibal dragged the body to the back of the Bentley. They laid Mr. Chang into the plastic-lined trunk and closed the door. Then, hopping back into the car, the two drove away into the night.

* * *

**_COOKING WAS ALMOST AS FULFILLING AS THE HUNT._ **

Hannibal couldn't replace the high the hunt gave him, but the kitchen was the closest thing he had to a home. To him, cooking was more than a way to sustain himself and Will. It was an art form. His mind was most at ease when he was slicing liver or kneading a pair of lungs to classical music. His meals were rarely simple, too. Though he hadn't had a guest over for dinner in months, he couldn't let his craftsmanship wither away. Besides, Will always seemed impressed with his creations.

Soft footsteps tore Hannibal from his train of thought. He glanced up from his chopping board, a faint smile appeared on his lips as Will stepped into view. His grey shirt stuck to his skin with cold sweat and dark circles surrounded his eyes.

"There's coffee in the machine," said Hannibal. He resumed chopping the green peppers.

"Thanks," Will mumbled.

He shuffled into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. He looked half asleep, though Hannibal didn't blame him. The two had spent most of the night scattering Mr. Chang's remains around town, careful not to stay too close to home.

"How did you sleep?" Hannibal asked.

"Not well," Will said. "Kept having nightmares."

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "About Mr. Chang?"

Will nodded. He took a sip of his coffee and said, "Yeah. I didn't think ... I didn't think I would have nightmares about it. Killing him felt _good_. It felt right. I don't get why he's still haunting me."

"It's your first hunt, Will. It's natural for you to have nightmares," said Hannibal.

He set down the knife and stood in front of Will. Hannibal's hand caressed his cheek, his thumb running over the scar Francis Dolarhyde left behind. The thought of that man hurting Will still made Hannibal's blood boil.

"You spent most of your life hunting down people like me, like you, it would be strange for your mind not to rebel," said Hannibal.

"I guess you're right," said Will. He let out a deep sigh.

"You know I'm right," Hannibal said. He removed his hand from Will's face and passed him a spare apron. "Come, you can help me cook."

Will raised an eyebrow. "You're letting me cook?"

"Kind of," Hannibal said. He opened the fridge and passed Will the metal bowl containing Mr. Chang's heart. "You can cut this for me."

Will stared at the bowl for a moment. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he set on the counter. For a moment, Hannibal wondered if he had the stomach to slice the meat himself. He had the stomach to eat it, of course, but preparing the meal was different. Slicing the heart, Will couldn't trick his brain into thinking it was something other than human.

Then, just when Hannibal thought of offering to slice it himself, Will nodded to himself and placed the heart on the chopping board and began to cut away the fat.

Hannibal smiled, watching for a moment before resuming his work chopping vegetables. 

Neither of them spoke as they worked. They didn't need words to communicate. When it came time to cook, Will stepped out of Hannibal's way. He tried to cook the vegetables, but as the smoke rose from the pan, Hannibal took over. Will sat back and watched as he flambéd the heart with white wine and seared the peppers and onions. Somehow, all on his own, Hannibal had created a lunch worthy of a Michelin star.

Once the meal was done, Hannibal plated the food and took it to the dining room. He and Will took their usual seats across from each other and raised a glass of red wine in celebration.

"To your success," Hannibal said.

Will smiled and clinked his glass with Hannibal's. Then, the two of them began to eat. Neither of them spoke during the meal, letting Max Bruch's "Kol Nidrei, Op. 47" filled the silence.

At long last, Hannibal and Will were in sync.


End file.
